News:
Sec. Kerry is taking a personal approach to advancing Middle East peace. (New York Times)
Kerry warns of the potential for new violence if peace talks falter. (AP/Xinhua/Los Angeles Times)
Recent polls suggest neither Israelis nor Palestinians think Kerry's efforts will yield peace. (The Media Line)
PM Netanyahu pushes back against Kerry, saying Palestinians are the only obstacle to peace. (Washington Post)
Israeli occupation forces kill a Palestinian at a checkpoint near Nablus in the occupied West Bank who may have been attacking them. (Xinhua/Ma'an/AP)
Occupation forces shoot and kill another Palestinian man near Bethlehem. (Ma'an)
Relatives say the man was killed in "cold blood." (Ma'an)
Israel closes two alleged Hamas offices in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)
Speculation continues to grow about suggestions the late Pres. Arafat was poisoned. (AP)
People are wondering who might have had a motive for potentially poisoning Arafat. (AP)
Palestinians say Israel is "the only suspect" in Arafat's death, which they deem "unnatural." (AP)
The US loses voting rights at UNESCO over defunding the body regarding the membership of Palestine. (AP)
Pres. Obama reiterates that sanctions relief may be forthcoming if Iran halts nuclear R&D. (AP)
The West and Iran may be near a nuclear deal. (New York Times)
Netanyahu says a nuclear deal with Iran would be "a mistake of historical proportions," and he "utterly rejects" it. (Xinhua/AP)
Kerry is going to Geneva to try to formalize the deal with Iran. (Reuters)
Netanyahu reportedly tells Kerry Israel "won't be bound" by any Western agreement with Iran. (Xinhua)m
Sanctions remain a serious concern for Iran. (Reuters)
Jordan is considering adopting the UN Security Council seat vacated by Saudi Arabia. (New York Times)
Kerry is confident that dates for Syrian peace talks will be soon established. (Reuters)
30 people are killed in attacks in Iraq. (AP)
Lebanon says it won't "stand idle" in the face of Israeli spying along the border. (Xinhua)
The Arab American National Museum and University of Michigan are jointly presenting an exhibit and symposium entitled "Creative Dissent: Arts of the Arab World Uprisings." (AP)
Egypt's constitution drafting committee agrees in principle to abolish the parliamentary upper house. (Xinhua)
Egyptian forces say they have killed eight terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula. (Xinhua)
Reuters interviews Egyptian FM Fahmy, who says the country will hold parliamentary elections in February-March. (Reuters)
Two are killed in militia fighting in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. (AP)
The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood confirms it intends to form a new political party. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Commentary:
Aaron David Miller asks if Israel is "doomed," and says not for the meanwhile. (Foreign Policy)
Ilene Prusher says one of the possible reasons for a lack of progress on peace is that Israel's two negotiators are not in agreement. (Ha'aretz)
Matt Lerner says, in spite of the distortions of the political process, there is still a large constituency for peace in Israel. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
George Hishmeh wonders if Kerry's peace initiative is really following Pres. Obama's stated vision. (Jordan Times)
Jose Vericat says Israel and the world are missing a historic opportunity for peace in Gaza. (The Forward)
Ibrahim al-Amin describes how Hamas is plotting its comeback. (Al Akhbar)
Ehud Yaari says there is growing discontent with Hamas, but a major internal effort to unseat it is unlikely. (WINEP)
Mark Peplow says there's no hard evidence Arafat was actually poisoned. (Nature)
Christopher Dickey says Arafat might've been poisoned but even if he was we will never know who is responsible. (Daily Beast)
The National says questions about Arafat's death now need to be answered. (The National)
The Guardian says an explanation of Arafat's death is required for peace. (The Guardian)
Matthew Kalman and Matt Rees say other senior Palestinians were responsible for killing Arafat. (The Forward)
UK ambassador Matthew Gould explains his country's engagement in negotiations with Iran. (YNet)
Alan Phillips questions whether Iran is really ready to compromise. (The National)
Shoula Romano Horing says the West is engaging in "shameless appeasement" of Iran. (YNet)
Barbara Opall-Rome says Israel's censorship goes too far. (Ha'aretz)
Ha'aretz says Lieberman is "unfit to be a minister." (Ha'aretz)
The Jerusalem Post says Lieberman's acquittal casts serious doubts on its judicial officials. (Jerusalem Post)
Abdel Monem Said looks of the state of US-Egyptian relations. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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